outpost22 Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Bike: '96 R1100RT equipped with "headlight modulator" by previous owner. Today going downtown, my "high beam indicator" came on in the "low beam" mode. I lost all headlights except the "park light". I looked in the manual for the fuse for the headlight, and it doesn't list a fuse for it. IE: fuse 1: Instument, brake lite, taillight fuse 2: Parking light fuse 3: Turn signals, clock fuse 4: Power socket fuse 5: Motronic fuse 6: fuel pump fuse 7: heated grips fuse 8: radio fuse 9: spare fuse 10: spare Any clue on which fuse to check? Also, if it is a bulb problem, can I simply unplug the "headlight modulator gizmo" at the bulb socket(if that is where it is located) and get rid of it? If the bulb was bad, would I lose both high and low beam at the same time? Will the bulb look "burned out" or is it hard to tell. Thanks for your help Link to comment
bmwmick Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 PUll the headlight out and look at the connector. If you had a high wattage H4 in there, the connector might be 'toast' literally. The other suspect is the Hi/Lo switch. Mick Link to comment
Voyager Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 That's what happened when my bulb burned out. I think the high beam indicator comes on when your bulb blows. AFAIK both blew at the same time. Link to comment
RFW Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 Any clue on which fuse to check? Why don't you just start pulling fuses until you see what fuse is the right one? For what it's worth, my old K100 has its headlights factory wired direct with no fuse. Bob. Link to comment
Ken H. Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 The headlight circuits are not fused on the R1100xx. Or the R1150xx for that matter. Link to comment
Tim Yip Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 I had a similar problem on my '04 R1150RT (NOT equipped with a headlight modulator): both HI nor LOW beam bulbs went out, the high beam indicator light went on, and only the 'parking' light bulb was lighted. I too checked the fuses and they were OK. It turns out there was a problem with the ground wire tab and BMW Canada replaced the entire headlight assembly under warranty. I hope this isn't your problem because the headlight assembly is expensive, although I would guess there is a much less expensive way to fix the ground wire tab than replacing the whole thing. Good luck. Link to comment
RFW Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 both HI nor LOW beam bulbs went out, the high beam indicator light went on, and only the 'parking' light bulb was lighted. It turns out there was a problem with the ground wire tab Hate to say it, but the fact that the problem was a bad ground, was really obvious. When two separate events happen at the same time, the first thing you do is look for a common thread. The ONLY thing common between high and low beams is that both filaments ground via the same connection. Further, the HB indicator and parking lamp (being in different locations) are grounded separately (which is consistent with why they worked). Troubleshooting 101! Bob. Link to comment
Boffin Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 both HI nor LOW beam bulbs went out, the high beam indicator light went on, and only the 'parking' light bulb was lighted. It turns out there was a problem with the ground wire tab Hate to say it, but the fact that the problem was a bad ground, was really obvious. When two separate events happen at the same time, the first thing you do is look for a common thread. The ONLY thing common between high and low beams is that both filaments ground via the same connection. Further, the HB indicator and parking lamp (being in different locations) are grounded separately (which is consistent with why they worked). Troubleshooting 101! Bob. This headlamp ground tag is another one of those common issues, my bike had the same symptoms, when I told the dealer he told me it was almost certainly the ground tag, he had seen a few of them. Headlamp was swapped out under warranty and the problem went away. Cya, Andy Link to comment
outpost22 Posted January 25, 2006 Author Share Posted January 25, 2006 O.k. I'm a TOTAL Dweeb. I bought a new headlamp ($6.50) from my local BMW dealer. Figured I'd start with an easy solution first. I went to pull the connector to the headlight off and the socket plug fell into my hand by just BREATHING on it. I plugged it back in and all works fine now. It was just a loose socket connection. At least now I have an extra bulb I'll watch that grounding tab in the future. Link to comment
RFW Posted January 25, 2006 Share Posted January 25, 2006 I went to pull the connector to the headlight off and the socket plug fell into my hand by just BREATHING on it. At least now I have an extra bulb I'll watch that grounding tab in the future. These types of connectors are called "Faston", invented originally by AMP (now part of Tycho). They are famous for getting loose if someone unplugs them a little brutally. Easy to fix, though. As for your extra bulb, carry it with you, along with a spare of each other type on the bike. Being visible is really important, and this way as soon as you see one is burned out, you can pop a new one in right away. With the headlight, at least you can switch to high beam, but I won't ride a foot with a burned out tail or brake light! Bob. Link to comment
outpost22 Posted January 26, 2006 Author Share Posted January 26, 2006 [quote With the headlight, at least you can switch to high beam, but I won't ride a foot with a burned out tail or brake light! Bob. Absolutely! I put one of those flashing LED BRAKE! lights on after I bought the bike. It pulsates real quick and then goes solid. I can see the cages behind me brake(in the mirror of course) when I tap the brakes or come to a stop. It is very bright and I'm pleased with it. I also added an outside air temp gauge as it can be very cold here. It was 37 degrees this morning when I went downtown. Good idea about packing the other bulbs too. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.